The Sarasota Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies from around the state of Florida and around the country to step up ‘Click It or Ticket’ activities. Research shows that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50%.

In 2014 in the City of Sarasota, Sarasota Police Officers responded to 2,566 crashes. Of the 2,566 crashes, 72 of those crashes, the driver and/or passenger were not wearing a seat belt. Of those 72 crashes where the driver and/or passenger were not wearing a seat belt, 38 people had injuries, 4 of those fatal.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the national seat belt use rate is at 87 percent but the other 13 percent, an estimated 27.5 million people, do not buckle up when they get into a vehicle.

"We want to bring these numbers down," said Sarasota Police Traffic Officer Tim Bales. "There are too many people dying on the road and so many of those deaths could have been prevented if people stopped and took the time to buckle up. We will continue to hand out tickets year-round to those people who still haven’t gotten the message," said Officer Bales.